Onion Soup with Gruyere Croutons

We had a baguette with our roast chicken specifically so I could make these cheesy croutons with the day-old bread. Day-old bread, onions, stock or even water . . . this dish shows that the humblest ingredients can be impressive if you smother them with pricey cheese. I also added a good glug of red wine to the soup, but that hardly counts as a gourmet ingredient. I am, in fact, in California and can buy Two-Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's. It's decent wine, especially for deglazing a pan.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

I started by slicing up 2 big onions, one yellow and one red. I actually quartered them and then sliced them; I melted butter in my deep skillet and cooked the onions slowly with a bit of salt, pepper and sprigs of fresh thyme. When they were melting and soft, I turned the heat up a bit, watching them carefully. I wanted some brown fond to form on the bottom of the pan but I didn't want the onions to scorch. Then I deglazed with a bit of red wine and added chicken stock (beef stock would be better and result in a deeper, more attractive color). While that simmered, I toasted baguette slices under the broiler, added a slice of Gruyere and broiled again to melt the cheese. Served the croutons in the soup, so the bread could soak up the juices.